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Abstract In the modern era, intensive agricultural practices such as agrochemicals are applied in excessive amounts to enhance agricultural production. However, imbalanced adoption of these chemicals has arisen in the dwindling of agriculture factor productivity and soil quality. To maintain soil fertility and production, these chemical fertilizers must be supplemented with organic inputs. Keeping this in the backdrop, a research trail was established during 2018–19 and 2019–20 years at Research Farm of Agriculture University, Kota, India. The treatment setup was comprised of 5 treatment modules viz., conservation tillage + organic management (CAOM), conservation tillage + chemical management (CACM), conventional tillage + chemical management (CTCM), conventional tillage + organic management (CTOM) and the package of practices (PoPs) with four replications. Results indicated that the highest organic carbon (0.68%), bacterial (29.11 × 107 cfu g−1), fungal (4.77 × 104 cfu g−1), actinomycetes populations (5.67 × 104 cfu g−1), acid phosphatase (44.1 µg g−1 h−1), urease (45.3 µg g−1 h−1) and dehydrogenase (23.3 µg triphenylformazan [TPF] g−1 h−1) activity in soil were found in the treatment of conservation organic system during both the years of study at each soil depth. In contrast to other parameters, the highest system productivity was observed with conservation chemical crop management approaches, with a soybean equivalent yield of 4615 kg ha−1 in a soybean–wheat system of production. Furthermore, the soil quality index (SQI) significantly varied from the lowest score (0.30) at 45–60 cm layer of soil in the package of practices to the highest score (0.92) at 0–15 cm layer of soil with regards to the conservation organic which shows, 206.67 percent enhancement through the soil profile of various crop management practices. The SQI variation from 0–15 to 45–60 cm soil depth was 130.0, 81.08, 60.0, 175.0 and 83.33 percent, respectively, for CAOM, CACM, CTCM, CTOM and PoPs. Amongst, different systems, the highest mean performance was noticed under the conservation organic systems for physical and biological properties. Hence, in line with the salient outcome, we may propose that the conservation chemical system needs to be followed to improve crop productivity, whereas, conservation organic seems a good option for soil health with long-term viability.

BackgroundThis study investigates the nuanced experiences of faculty members in higher education institutions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Focusing on family–work conflict, job satisfaction, and personal wellbeing, the research aims to provide comprehensive insights into the challenges and adaptations encountered by faculty members amidst unprecedented disruptions.MethodA mixed-method approach was employed, encompassing both quantitative and qualitative measures. The quantitative facet involved 82 participants who responded surveys distributed to faculty members across diverse regions of India. Concurrently, qualitative data were collected through interviews with 30 faculty members in three states. The quantitative study utilized standardized tools, while the qualitative inquiry followed a semi-structured interview schedule.ResultQuantitative findings revealed a significant upswing in job satisfaction after institutional reopening compared to the lockdown period. However, no significant differences were observed concerning work–family conflict and personal wellbeing. Notably, faculty members reported heightened work–family and family–work interference compared to national statistics. Qualitative responses highlight a notable shift in teaching methodologies, incorporating multimedia and online tools. Faculty members exhibited mixed sentiments about returning to the office, expressed a deepened appreciation for social relationships post-reopening, and emphasized the positive impact of institutional hygiene protocols.ConclusionThis study offers crucial insights into the multifaceted experiences of faculty members in higher institutions during the COVID-19 lockdown and subsequent reopening. The research contributes valuable perspectives to the evolving discourse on post-pandemic academia, providing a foundation for further exploration and understanding of the challenges and opportunities faced by faculty members in the changing scenario of higher education.

In this article, some new sufficient conditions for the unique solvability of a new class of Sylvester-like absolute value matrix equation \(AXB - \vert CXD \vert =F\) are given. This work is distinct from the published work by Li [Journal of Optimization Theory and Application, 195(2), 2022]. Some new conditions were also obtained, which were not covered by Li. We also provided an example in support of our result.

AbstractThis study attempts to assess preferences for processing information (decision style) in normative and descriptive decision-making tasks. This study examines the relationship of rational and experiential decision styles with heuristics and the application of decision rules. 324 undergraduate and postgraduate students were drawn purposively from a technical institute. They were administered “Rational‐Experiential Inventory”, “Applying Decision Rule” task and two versions (expert and not-expert) of an essay (as a measure of heuristics). The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation, and regression techniques. The results suggest that rational decision style (RDS) is positively related to the application of decision rules, but negatively associated with the heuristic cue. Experiential decision style (EDS) and the use of heuristic in decision-making has a significant positive relationship. The application of decision rules (integration skill) and the use of heuristics showed a significant negative correlation. The regression result indicates that both decision styles, rational and experiential, play a significant role in decision-making and impact the use of heuristics and the application of decision rules in decision-making. The findings show the utility of investigating cognitive process manifestations such as decision-making styles and the application of decision-making rules based on competencies.

Background: Correlation between chest X-ray findings and drug resistance can provide valuable guide for physicians working at low-resource settings. Objective: To study tuberculosis (TB) drug sensitivity pattern as per the radiological presentation. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based prospective study was conducted among 67 newly diagnosed sputum-positive pulmonary TB patients who never took anti-TB treatment. They were subjected to history, systemic examination, radiology, and sputum smear examination. Ten patterns of chest X-ray were studied in the present study, which was not studied before. Chest X-ray radiology pattern was correlated with the drug resistance. Results: Isoniazid (INH) monoresistance was present in 11.9% of patients. 1.5% had rifampicin (RIF) resistance but no INH resistance. RIF and INH both resistance (multidrug-resistant [MDR]) was present in 7.5% of cases. Pattern Four was the most common radiological presentation in our patients being present in 20 (29.9%) patients. In this pattern, bacteria of 5.0% were RIF resistant. 15.0% were INH resistant, and 5.0% were both RIF and INH resistant (MDR). RIF resistance was most common in chest X-ray PA view with “Pattern Two” being present in bacteria of 21.42% of patients. Conclusion: Radiological patterns 2, 3, and 4 were highly correlated with the multidrug resistance, but it was not statistically significant. Patients' chest X-ray showing these patterns can be suspected to have MDR-TB and sent for further evaluation for early diagnosis and treatment of MDR-TB, which will give us good outcome. Further studies on this hypothesis should be conducted with bigger sample size to throw more light in this field.

Background: The clinical features and management of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) have been well documented in urban India. However, little data exist on the management and outcomes of severe COVID-19 in rural and tribal areas. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of the patients admitted in a 20-bedded COVID-19 intensive care unit (ICU) set up at the Government District Hospital, Ambikapur, Chhattisgarh, between 17 May and 17 July 2021 during the second wave of COVID-19 in India. The ICU was managed by a team of primary care providers, family physicians, and nurses under the supervision of three specialists. Data related to socio-demographic, clinical, laboratory, and treatment profiles were extracted using a data extraction tool and analysed. Results: A total of 55 of the 63 (87.3%) patients admitted in the ICU during the study period were eligible for the study. The mean age of the patients was 50.95 [standard deviation (SD) 15.76] years; 66% were < 60 years of age, and 63.6% were men. The mean duration of symptoms before ICU admission was 7.52 (SD 4.16) days. Breathlessness (63.6%), fever (58.2%), cough (52.7%), and altered sensorium (38.2%) were the most common presenting symptoms. 67% of the patients had any co-morbidity, and 43% had two or more co-morbidities. 32.7% patients needed non-invasive (14 out of 55) or invasive ventilation (4 out of 55). 12.7% of the patients (7 out of 55) needed dialysis. The intra-ICU mortality was 47%. Patients who died had higher prevalence of heart disease, hypoxia, and altered sensorium. Conclusion: Our study highlights the need for critical care services in Government District Hospitals in India and the feasibility of providing such care by primary care providers through specialist mentoring.

The main purpose of this study was to fabricate carbon nanotubes (CNTs) reinforced zircon­nium yttrium coatings on boiler tube steel and to investigate the microstructural and mechanical properties of these coatings. Plasma sprayed conventional ZrO2-Y2O3, ZrO2-Y2O3 and 1 wt.% CNT and ZrO2-Y2O3 and 4 wt.% CNT were prepared and deposited successfully on boiler tube steel material T-91 (ASTM SA-213) by plasma thermal spray technology. Microhardness, porosity, XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM/EDAX (scanning elec­tron microscopy/energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy), X-ray mapping and cross-sectional analyses were used to analyse the specimens. The hardness of CNT reinforced ZrO2-Y2O3 increased with the increase in the percentage of CNT, whereas the porosity of the composite coatings decreased with the increase in the CNT percentage. The observed increase in hardness may be attributed to the content of CNT in the composite coating. The present research gives important information related to the fabrication and physical characteristics of CNT-reinforced ZrO2-Y2O3 coatings deposited on T-91 boiler tube steel.

Coronavirus outbreak in Hubei Province, China, has now spread all over the world. People are witnessing the loss of thousands of lives across the world every day. On the one hand, where most of the government advisory aimed at facilitating physical health, the need for mental health promotion was also recognized. The aim of the paper is to review the findings and commentaries of researches during COVID-19. Coming data suggest that COVID-19 pandemic can cause several psychological distresses during and after this pandemic. Stigma, violence, and other social factors can give extra challenges to mental health professionals. Among these challenges, one serious factor is the risk of suicide. Older individuals, females, and health workers have been identified as most prone to the mental health crisis. E-platform has been identified as the best service delivery system; however, service delivery can be compromised by some hurdles. Few suggestions have been made on the basis of available findings for readiness and mental health promotion.

Drought is one of the important natural disasters which lead to maximum severity to human among all others. The vulnerability increases with the resource poor nature of developing and under developing nations. Considering the extent of rainfed area in India, the vulnerability to drought is higher compared to other peer nations. It has implications on agriculture, livestock, fisheries, rural employment, human nutrition and health. However, the impact initiates with crop production and encompasses livestock in medium term which has severe economic implications for farmer. Therefore, it is desirable to present an extensive study on the impact of drought on major crops and livestock in India. Further, we have also emphasized on the remedial measures to be followed for crop production and livestock.

Introduction: Shoulder joint pain in hemiplegic patients is a common complication which interferes with the therapeutic exercises, influences activities of daily living, social participation and delays the recovery process. Various treatment methods have been given to prevent and manage the Hemiplegic Shoulder Pain (HSP). The purpose of present systematic review was to find the study which is most effective in HSP. Aim: To determine the most effective method used in physical therapy for the management of HSP. Materials and Methods: In the present systematic review, a search of PubMed, Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), CINHAL, Scopus database, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library Register of control trials and bibliography was conducted from January 2016 to March 2020. Randomised clinical trials were included in the review. The methodological quality of the identified Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) was assessed using the McMaster Critical Appraisal Tool. The RCTs which scored less than 9 out of 15 or below 64.2% on McMaster Critical Appraisal Tool were not included into the systematic review. Results: A total of 1337 citations were identified, however, only six RCTs matched the eligibility criteria and were included in the review. The identified studies were similar in design. Investigated diverse physical therapy modalities that were applied for dissimilar periods, and outcome measures assessed at different periods which shown inconsistent results. Conclusion: This systematic review found evidence for improvement in HSP in those treated with Kinesiotaping (KT) and Electromyography (EMG) triggered Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulaton (NMES) with bilateral arm training. However, more number of RCTs needed to substantiate the results.

Purpose: To study the prevalence of back pain in patients of Budd–Chiari syndrome (BCS) with inferior vena cava (IVC) obstruction, and to evaluate the role of IVC recanalization in resolution of back pain. Methods: All patients with BCS and IVC obstruction who underwent IVC recanalization between January 2018 and October 2022 were included. Patients with degenerative spine disease or other identifiable causes for back pain were excluded; remaining patients were assessed for the presence of back pain. In patients with back pain, pain relief was assessed at 24 h following IVC recanalization. Results: Fifty-eight patients with BCS and IVC occlusion were identified, of which six with degenerative spine diseases were excluded. Of the remaining 52 patients, 34 (65.4%) had back pain, with pain score between 3 and 9. Engorged epidural venous plexus on preprocedural imaging (p = 0.002), and degree of luminal narrowing (p = 0.021) had a significant association with back pain. Twenty-nine of thirty-four patients (85.3%) with back pain had pain relief immediately following IVC recanalization, more so in patients with engorged epidural venous plexus on preprocedural imaging (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Back pain is one of the under-reported symptoms of IVC obstruction in BCS. IVC recanalization by IVC angioplasty with or without stenting relieves back pain due to the decompression of engorged epidural veins.

Wind erosion is a major natural disaster worldwide, and it is a key problem in western Rajasthan in India. The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), the Geographic Information System (GIS), and remote sensing satellite images are effective tools for modeling and risk assessment of land degradation. The present study aimed to assess and model the land degradation vulnerable (LDV) zones based on the AHP and geospatial techniques in the Luni River basin in Rajasthan, India. This study was carried out by examining important thematic layers, such as vegetation parameters (normalized difference vegetation index and land use/land cover), a terrain parameter (slope), climatic parameters (mean annual rainfall and land surface temperature), and soil parameters (soil organic carbon, soil erosion, soil texture, and soil depth), using the Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and geospatial techniques in the Luni River basin in Rajasthan, India. The weights derived for the thematic layers using AHP were as follows: NDVI (0.27) > MAR (0.22) > LST (0.15) > soil erosion (0.12) > slope (0.08) > LULC (0.06) > SOC (0.04) > soil texture (0.03) > soil depth (0.02). The result indicates that nearly 21.4 % of the total area is prone to very high degradation risks; 12.3% is prone to high risks; and 16%, 24.3%, and 26% are prone to moderate, low, and very low risks, respectively. The validation of LDV was carried out using high-resolution Google Earth images and field photographs. Additionally, the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve found an area under the curve (AUC) value of 82%, approving the prediction accuracy of the AHP technique in the study area. This study contributes by providing a better understanding of land degradation neutrality and sustainable soil and water management practices in the river basin.

Changes in land use have several impacts on soil organic carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling, both of which are important for soil stability and fertility. Initially, the study area was barren uncultivated desert land. During the late 1960s, the introduction of a canal in the arid region converted the barren deserts into cultivated land. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate the effects of various land use systems on temporal changes in soil organic C and N pools, and to evaluate the usefulness of different C and N management indices for suitable and sustainable land use systems under arid conditions. We quantified soil organic C and N pools in five different land uses of the Ghaggar flood plains, in hot, arid Rajasthan, India. The study focused on five land use systems: uncultivated, agroforestry, citrus orchard, rice–wheat, and forage crop. These land use systems are ≥20 years old. Our results showed that total organic carbon (TOC) was highest (7.20 g kg−1) in the forage crop and lowest in uncultivated land (3.10 g kg−1), and it decreased with depth. Across different land uses, the very labile carbon (VLC) fraction varied from 36.11 to 42.74% of TOC. In comparison to the uncultivated system, forage cropping, rice–wheat, citrus orchard, and agroforestry systems increased active carbon by 103%, 68.3%, 42.5%, and 30.6%, respectively. Changes in management and land use are more likely to affect the VLC. In soil under the forage crop, there was a considerable improvement in total N, labile N, and mineral N. Lability index of C (LIC), carbon management index (CMI), and TOC/clay indices were more sensitive to distinguishing land uses. The highest value of CMI was observed in the forage crop system followed by rice–wheat and agroforestry. In the long term, adoption of the forage crop increased soil quality in the hot, arid desert environment by enhancing CMI and VLC, which are the useful parameters for assessing the capacity of land use systems to promote soil quality.

Background: Family plays an important role in mental health of its member, thus its contribution can also be discerned in pathogenesis. Maintenance and relapse of several mental illnesses have been also attributed to the family environment (FE). This study explores FE as perceived by schizophrenia patients. Methodology: A case–control study was conducted in Chhattisgarh, India, to measure the association of perceived FE with schizophrenia. Between February 2014 and January 2015, 100 paranoid schizophrenia patients and 100 neighborhood-based healthy (based on 28-item General Health Questionnaire) controls were recruited. Minimum school-educated individuals aged 20–35 years were eligible if they/their caregivers provided consent. Interpersonal relationships and FE were assessed by an interviewer-administered 69-item FE scale. Results: The odds of suffering from schizophrenia increased with age, decreased with education, income, and found to be less among married. Schizophrenia risk was negatively associated with mean scores for cohesion, acceptance/caring, active-recreational orientation, and organization. Negative symptoms of schizophrenia were less pronounced among patients belonging to joint families. Conclusion: Thus, to minimize the burden and morbidity associated with schizophrenia, interventions to improve FE by minimizing conflict and improving cohesion, acceptance/caring, active-recreational orientation, and organization, and specifically targeting older, less-educated, poor, and married individuals in nuclear families seemed necessary.

Background and Aims: The study was undertaken to evaluate postoperative benefit in patients administered tablet gabapentin as premedication with the primary outcome determining the effect on duration of analgesia with total analgesic requirement and measurement of postoperative sedation scores as our secondary outcomes. Methods: The study was a prospective randomized observational study in sixty patients undergoing surgeries in spinal anesthesia (SA). Patients were randomly assigned into two groups. Group A (n = 30) patients received tablet gabapentin (600 mg) while Group B (n = 30) received a placebo (Vitamin B complex) orally 2 h before surgery. Postoperative pain was managed with intravenous tramadol 2 mg/kg. Postoperative monitoring and assessment included pain assessment every 2 h with Numeric Rating Scale (0–10) for 12 h and then at 24 h. Results: On comparison of intergroup data, the duration of analgesia was prolonged in Group A (288.79 ± 38.81 min) as compared to Group B (218.67 ± 37.62 min) with P (0.0001). Total opioid requirement was higher in placebo group as compared to the Group A (P = 0.025). Statistical difference in mean (standard deviation) pain score at 24 h was statistically significant (P = 0.0002). Sedation scores were significantly higher in Group A at 2 and 4 h post-SA. Conclusion: Single dose of gabapentin administered 2 h before surgery provides better pain control as compared to placebo. It prolongs the duration of analgesia, reduces the total analgesic requirement during the postoperative period.

Tissue maintenance and development requires a directed plane of cell division. While it is clear that the division plane can be determined by retraction fibres that guide spindle movements, the precise molecular components of retraction fibres that control spindle movements remain unclear. We report MARK2/Par1b kinase as a novel component of actin-rich retraction fibres. A kinase-dead mutant of MARK2 reveals MARK2's ability to monitor subcellular actin status during interphase. During mitosis, MARK2's localization at actin-rich retraction fibres, but not the rest of the cortical membrane or centrosome, is dependent on its activity, highlighting a specialized spatial regulation of MARK2. By subtly perturbing the actin cytoskeleton, we reveal MARK2's role in correcting mitotic spindle off-centring induced by actin disassembly. We propose that MARK2 provides a molecular framework to integrate cortical signals and cytoskeletal changes in mitosis and interphase.

Cloud-hosted services are being increasingly used in hosting business and scientific applications due to cost-effectiveness, scalability, and ease of deployment. To facilitate rapid development, change and release process of cloud-hosted applications, the area of development and operations (DevOps) is fast evolving. It is necessary to train the future generation of scientific application development professionals such that they are knowledgeable in the DevOps-enabled continuous integration/delivery automation. In this article, we present the design and development of our "Mizzou Cloud DevOps platform," an online self-service platform to learn cutting-edge Cloud DevOps tools/technologies using open/public cloud infrastructures for wide adoption amongst instructors/students. Our learning platform features scalability, flexibility, and extendability in providing Cloud DevOps concepts knowledge and hands-on skills. We detail our "application-inspired learning" methodology that is based on integration of real-world application use cases in eight learning modules that include laboratory exercises and self-study activities. The learning modules allow students to gain skills in using latest technologies (e.g., containerization, cluster and edge computing, data pipeline automation) to implement relevant security, monitoring, and adaptation mechanisms. The evaluation of our platform features a knowledge growth study to assess student learning, followed by a usability study to assess the online learning platform, as well as the curriculum content as perceived by instructors and students across multiple hands-on workshops.

Several psychological theories and models of wisdom have been developed. Despite converging trend from different theories and models in the understanding of wisdom, intervention plans or attempts to facilitate wisdom have been meager. In this study, different components of the MORE Life Experience Model of Wisdom were taken as intervention targets, and these components were targeted through mindfulness training, journal writing, narrative simulation, and case discussion on leadership virtues. The basic purpose was to seek the answer for the possibility of development of wisdom in individuals by testing MORE model and we plan to answer this by fulfilling two aims: first, to find empirical support for the MORE life experience model, we wanted to see whether MORE components predict participants’ self-rated wisdom scores; and second, to use this model as an intervention tool to foster wisdom. Intervention, lasted for 18 weeks, was done among 160 students (age range 19–22 years) enrolled for “leadership” course. Complete data were obtained from 108 participants. Result suggests Habitual Action (β = 0.24, p

Field experiments were conducted at CCS Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar during kharif season of 2013 and 2014 to determine the effect of weather parameters on the incidence of pod borer complex on early maturing pigeonpea varieties. The study revealed that the infestation of Helicoverpa armigera and Maruca vitrata started with the onset of bud initiation and reached its peak at flowering stage. The maximum H. armigera larval population (1.83 larvae plant-1) was recorded in 1st week of July sown crop, whereas, the maximum incidence of M. vitrata (21.17 webs plant-1) was recorded in 2nd week of July sown crop. The larval population of H. armigera was significantly and positively correlated with the maximum temperature, followed by minimum temperature.Incidence of M. vitrata was negatively correlated with evening relative humidity and wind speed which was significant at p  0.05 level of significance.

The case history of a 35-year-old female patient with short stature is presented. She was posted for rectopexy in view of rectal prolapse. She was a known case of bronchial asthma. She had crowding of intervertebral spaces, which made administration of spinal anesthesia via the normal route very difficult. Taylor′s approach for administration of the same was tried and proved successful, thus saving the patient from receiving general anesthesia in the presence of bronchial asthma, for a perineal surgery. The possible cause for the difficulty in administration of spinal anesthesia and the Taylor′s approach are discussed, and reports of similar cases reviewed.

The present work analyses the buckling and vibration behaviour of non-homogeneous rectangular plates of uniform thickness on the basis of classical plate theory when the two opposite edges are simply supported and are subjected to linearly varying in-plane force. For non-homogeneity of the plate material it is assumed that young's modulus and density of the plate material vary exponentially along axial direction. The governing partial differential equation of motion of such plates has been reduced to an ordinary differential equation using the sine function for mode shapes between the simply supported edges. This resulting equation has been solved numerically employing differential quadrature method for three different combinations of clamped, simply supported and free boundary conditions at the other two edges. The effect of various parameters has been studied on the natural frequencies for the first three modes of vibration. Critical buckling loads have been computed. Three dimensional mode shapes have been presented. Comparison has been made with the known results.

The COVID-19 pandemic demanded the closure of education institutions abruptly in the middle of the academic term, disrupting regular teaching and learning activities throughout the world. The teaching fraternity immediately moved to online teaching to minimize learning damage and continue academic activities. With the sudden shift from traditional practices to online teaching, the key question arises about effectiveness of online teaching in higher education and how the teaching fraternity pursues academic activities, grouped under pre, during and post online teaching. This study aimed at examining the faculty perspective of online teaching in higher education without much experience and preparation. Data was collected from 81 faculty members across the disciplines of Engineering, Technology and Science for technical courses and Management and Commerce for the School of Social Science. Opinion of respondents received in pre, during and post online teaching activities and effectiveness in comparison to traditional system were analyzed. While the results show that there is no substantial pedagogical change or difficulty in delivery through online teaching. However, concerns remain about classroom management and the evaluation process through online as compared to face to face teaching. There is no significant difference of opinion from the faculties of School of Engineering and School of Management in regard to pre and post, except during the online teaching activities.

The thermal instability of a rotating Rivlin-Ericksen viscoelastic fluid in the presence of uniform vertical magnetic field is considered. For the case of stationary convection, Rivlin-Ericksen viscoelastic fluid behaves like a Newtonian fluid. It is found that rotation has a stabilizing effect, whereas the magnetic field has both stabilizing and destabilizing effects. Graphs have been plotted by giving numerical values to the parameters, to depict the stability characteristics. The rotation and magnetic field are found to introduce oscillatory modes in the system which were nonexistent in their absence.